Preheater



Dec. 13, 1938.

F. GRAETZ PREHEATER Filed Dec. 17, 1955 Joven for:

Friiz Graefz Patented Dec. 13, 1938 UNITED STATES PREHEATER Fritz Graetz, Berlin, Germany Application December 17, 1935, Serial No. 54,826

In Germany August 2, 1935 Claims.

This invention relates to a preheater for lighting and heating apparatus fed with fuel subjected to air pressure.

Preheaters for the vaporizer of such apparatus,

5 in which fuel and air are jointly drawn from a container and atomized so as to produce an inflammable and combustible mixture, are known already, and the object of the invention is to improve preheaters of this type, particularly as rem gards protection against wind, and simultaneously to provide for convenient cleaning of the nozzles.

It has been proposed to employ flat rotary valves as stop members for such preheaters, but the construction is so arranged that the rotary valve acting from the outside covers the outlet nozzle when in locking position, which makes it impossible to clean this nozzle when it is inoperative and the apparatus is under pressure. Furthermore, in

these known preheaters no provision is made for m preventing, or rendering difficult at least, blowing out of the flame, for instance by the wind, when the device is used in the open air.

The invention attains both objects stated, which at first sight appear to have little in common, by one and the same means, according to which the rotary valve serving for simultaneously and separately shutting of! fuel and air is made the car-' rier of the atomizer and flame tube or guard.

Byway of example, the invention is illustrated 30 in the accompanying drawing, which shows a preheater applied to an incandescent storm lantern and in which Figure 1 is a vertical section on the line l--l, of Fig. 2, of a lantern and preheater; Fig. 2 is a'horizontal section on the line 35 2-2, of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a top view of the rotary slide valve and passages; and Fig. 4, a section of the leaf spring exerting pressure upon the valve.'

Referring to the drawing, the pressure resisting container I of an incandescent storm lantern of 40 known type is provided with an air pump 2 and a filler cap 3, and carries the lower part I of the lantern housing. The vaporizer 5 is eccentrically secured to the container l and fitted with a stop I valve 8. Other parts of the lantern proper are 45 not shown, as they do not affect the invention. A body member 8 is inserted in an inclined screw connection I on the container l and is provided with two conduits 9,, llLthe conduit accommodating a pipe 21 communicating with the 50 air space of the container I, and the conduit it accommodating a fuel supply pipe it which reaches almost to the bottom of thecontainer. The body member 8 is fitted with a plate l2, preferably made of petroleum-proof rubber-like ma- 56 terlal, through which the pipe .H extends nearly up to the slide face. The pipe 21, inserted in the conduit 9, extends through the plate I2 almost to the top of the latter. These pipes act as passages and serve not only for preventing swelling of the plate material and closing of the conduits, but 5 they further stop the plate l2 from participating in the movement of the upper part of the preheater, which will be described hereafter. The atomizer comprises a rotary member l3, an air nozzle M and a mixing nozzle IS. The 10 member I3 is traversed by conduits l6, H which lead, respectively, to the mixing space and the air nozzle, so that when the slide is opened the conduit ill will communicate withthe conduit 16 and the conduit 9 with the conduit H. The atomizer body l3 has a lower flange l8 subjected to the pressure of' the annular leaf spring l9 which is held in position by the cap nut 20, so that the slide faces, relatively movable to one another, are 20 pressed together tightly yet so as to be slightly movable.

The rotary slide thus formed is operated by the lever 2|. The flange l8 possesses .a recess 22 whose end faces co-operate with a stud 23 in the body member 8 to limit the motion of the slide. 25 A flame tube or guard 24, attached to the mixing nozzle I5, is provided on its circumference with an igniting and cleaning hole 25 on a level with a recess 26 in the lower part of the lantern hous- 8o .ing.

The preheater described functions as follows:

The container 1 is half filled with fuel. When the filler cap 3, the vaporizer valve 6 and the rotary slide of the preheater are closed, air is introduced into the container I by means of the pump 2 until the pressure is somewhat in excess of the operating pressure. The preheater-ls then opened by turning the lever 2| in the direction of the arrow Aup to the stop. During opening, the conduits 9 and ill will be brought first into communi- T cation, since the air pipe has an advanced opening, as indicated in Fig. 3, so that only air flows out. Progressive turning of the slide then brings the conduits iii and it likewise into communication, and fuel will be drawn in by the suction of the air jet. The not exactly simultaneous 033611! ing of the conduits due to the advanced air opening provided by the-invention affords the conslderable advantage that a current of pure air always passes first through both nozzles and cleans them. The time during which this takes place, however, is not determined by the accomplishment of the suction or injector effect of the air current, but is entirely optional-with the user who may continue to pass air only through the a nozzles until the sound of the discharge indicates that tbeyare both clean and fully-opened.

In the end. position of the lever II in which the conduits it and il are completely obturated, and 5 one edge of the recess in flange i8- abuts the stud II, the apertures II and 26 are in complete registration one with the other.

During opening or the preheater conduits the flame tube 24 is simultaneously brought out of the 10 position at which the recesses 15, 2t register completely one with the other into a position where they only partly coincide and just enough space isavailable (or allowing a lighted match to reach the issuing jet of the combustible mixture, This represents the other end. position of lever ii in which the stud 23: contacts with the other edge oi the recess in time it.

In view or the fact that when the apertures 25 and It are in complete registration when no fuel so or air is Ieeding through the preheater, it is therefore possible conveniently to clean both nozzles when the preheater is inoperative, even if the apparatus is under pressure. whereas, on the other hand, when the preheater is in operation, the g5 igniting hole will be accessible laterally from the exterior of the apparatus only through a comparatively narrow slit so that the issuing jet of the mixture cannot be rectilinearly struck by a wind stream and blown out.

- so Assoonasthevaporizeriissufllcientlywarmed by the flame of the preheater, the valve 6 is opened and the mixture emerging from the burner. not shown, is ignited by the flame of the preheater. The lever 21 is then turned in the direction of the arrow Z and thereby brought into closing position, and the main flame continues to burn alone. The pressure at which the apparatus then works should be the normal operating pressure, as part or the air supplied by the pump has been used for atomizing the fuel in the preheater. I claim: 1. A multiple valve comprising a lower member adapted to be attached to a source of supply, said 45 lower member having. passages, an upper member rotatably mounted on said lower member, an air. nozzle and a mixing nozzle mounted on said upper member and rotatable therewith, one

of said nozzles being located within said upper; 50 memberand said other nozzle, passages in said upper member communicating with said nozzles and a wind guard mounted on said upper member and rotatable therewith.

2. Amultiple valve comprising a lower member 55 adapted to be attached to a source of supply, said lower member having passages, a pipe in each of I said passages, an upper member rotatably mounted on said lower member, an air home and a mixing nozzle mounted on said upper member and rotatable therewith. one of said nozzles being located within said upper member and said other nozzle, passages in said upper member communicating with said nozzles and a wind guard mounted on said upper member and rotatable therewith. 5

'8. A multiple valve comprising a lower member adapted to be attached to a source of supply, said lower member having passages, an upper member rotatably mounted on said lower member. an air nozzle and a mixing nozzle mounted on said upper 10 member and rotatable therewith, one of said nozzles being located within said upper member and said other nozzle, passages in said upper member communicating with said nozzles and a wind guard mounted on said upper member and rotat- 15 able therewith, said wind guard having an aperture, a lantern housing having an aperture adapted to align with the aperture of said wind guard when the latter has been rotated to a certain 1 position. v

4. A multiple valve comprising a lower member adapted to be attached to a source of supply, said lower member having passages, an upper member rotatably mounted on said lower member, an air nozzle and a mixing nozzle mounted on said upper member and rotatable therewith, one'oi said nozzles being located within said upper memher and said other nozzle, passages in said upper member communicating with said nozzles and a wind guard mounted on said upper member and so rotatable therewith, said wind guard having an aperture, a lantern housing having an aperturev adapted to align with the aperture of said wind uard when the latter has been rotated to a certainposition, and means whereby one of said passageways of said upper member becomes aligned with one of the passages of said lower member in advance of the alignment of the upper passage of said upper member and the other passage of said lower member, and a wind guard mounted on said upper member and rotatable therewith.

5. A multiple valve comprising a lower member adapted to be attached to a source of supply, said lower member having'passages, a pipe in each of 5 said'passages, an upper member rotatably mounted on said lower'member, an air nozzle and a mixing nozzle mounted on said upper member and rotatable therewith, one of said nozzles being located within said upper member and said other nozzle, passages in said upper member communicating withsaidnozzlesandawlndguard mounted on said upper member and rotatable therewith, said wind guard having an aperture, a lantern housing having an aperture, said aper- 55 tures being adapted to be brought into alignment when the wind guard has been rotated to a certain position.

ITZ, cream 

